Should Family Help With Your Reselling Business?

Hey there! I know, I know. Bringing family into business can be a rather touchy subject for some, but I feel like it’s one that we need to talk about in the reselling community. Many times we have sisters, brothers, nieces, or nephews, (or perhaps even parents!) that have some free time available for potentially spending on your business. As tempting as this may be, I recommend against it, (at least in most cases). Let me tell you why.

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Bad Blood

Nooo. It’s not just a Taylor Swift song you guys. Although it is a pretty good one if I do say so myself. It’s also something extremely real that can happen when getting family and business intertwined.

Although I absolutely adore my little sister and other family members helping out at times, it’s often not the best business decision if that’s the way you choose to look at it. (Which you should be).

Sure, if they are available for a Summer here, or a few weeks there, you may be thinking what kind of enormous amounts of time you may be saving…right?

But here’s the kicker. That Summer will end, those weeks will come to a halt, and there you’ll be, still trudging through the endless piles of inventory you’ve yet to tackle.

From Helpful to Hurtful

In the beginning, it’s blissful. Tasks are getting taken care of, things are tidied and sorted. It’s a beautiful feeling.

However, when you go back and check on those things, or dig for your items, perhaps they weren’t put in the right bins…or perhaps they were folded improperly so that 25% less fit in your storage area.

As small as these things may seem, you as a (more experienced) reseller may be left thinking, “Did this really save me more time?”

Sure, helping our friends and family is always a nice gesture to be given or received. Unfortunately, this comes back around to the saying that “If you want something done right, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

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Here’s the Often Forgotten Questions

If you absolutely must and feel the urging desire to hire anyone from your circle of family or friends, please do so at your own free will, as these are just my opinions and suggestions from my own experiences.

Let’s talk about the “What if’s?” we have that may pop up.

1. What if they don’t do things the way I like them?

Let’s face it. As a business owner and employee, peeps most likely will feel obligated to do what needs doing or fear the wrath of being fired. As a friend or family member, however, they may opt to let more things go, do a little less, or get away with a little more. Not saying this is a bad thing but…yes, actually I’m saying it’s a bad thing. You’ve worked hard to grow your business to the point of hiring someone on, and you don’t want to waste the time you’ve gained or income you’ve earned to get you there on someone who doesn’t see the importance or magnitude of what you’ve grown.

2. What if they don’t feel they’re being paid fairly or being included enough in your business?

They may get sour with you, give you the cold shoulder, or not include you in family or friend functions. Unfortunately, this happens more times than not, so I’ve found it best to keep family and business separate the most that I can. You don’t want to miss out on your best friend’s bridal shower just because she forgot to label your packages perfectly which led you to a babbling argument, do you? Not worth it if you ask me.

3. What if they have to go back to a “real job,” or better yet, decide to quit?

As much as I’d like to say everyone is always 100% reliable, that is just not the case. Everyone has their own set of plans, and that may or may not always include you. It’s best to part ways beforehand, knowing that they’ll still be there for advice and support along the way, instead of in your pocket and then out of both it and your life. You want to spend your dedicated time training and teaching someone that cares as deeply as you do about your business, and has the wants and needs to help make it grow, so that they can also grow along with you and it. When you get family involved, they cannot always be held reliable or accountable for their actions without getting a case of the feel bads or any further repercussions.

So, What Do You Think?

Feel free to express your thoughts about this subject in the comment section below! I’d love to hear your opinions and/or experiences on the matter. Thanks for reading! -Shelby

• Related: How Being a Reseller Has Changed Me

Thank You!

A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.

Please feel free to drop any comments below that you would like to add! I am always open to advice, suggestions, or even hearing related stories of your own!

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-Shelby

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